2 Handlotions Review

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I don't know why, but during spring time my hands always get dryer than any other time of the year. So during this beautiful time of the year I use a lot of hand lotions. Today I wanted to review two new ones I got. Vaseline's Intensive Care and Neutrogena Handcreme unscented. Let's see how much my thirsty hands like them.

Visit Genua! 24H In Genua General Tips & Suggestions

Helloooo! Today another Italian city to explore! With of course another short introduction: As you may know, I love to travel. I love to discover new things, get a taste of different cultures and see the most beautiful architecture. So, what would be a perfect country to go? Italy of course! Italian cities are absolutely beautiful, I would know, I've been in more than 11 of the bigger (if not biggest) cities in Italy and for today I would love to discover Genua with you!

When in Genua, the things you must see are the palaces. Genua, to me, would be the city of palaces. My favorite is the palazzo Reale. Which doesn't look like much on the front, but the backside is gorgeous!

Also be sure to check the inside if you enjoy Baroque. The way this palace has been designed was influential throughout Italy. Tickets are only 4 euros (2 if you're under 18!) and it's worth the price. Inside you'll find rooms like this:

Just beautifully decorated and every room has a different colour and function.

Another place to visit if you enjoy architecture is the Piazza De Ferrari. Which has this gorgeous fountain in the centre, which had pink water while we were there. It is situated between the old and the new centre of Genua. It is also a stop on the city sightseeing busses.

 

I recommend the sightseeing busses for only a handful of cities. Genua is one of them. Not because the sights are far apart (Palazzo Reale is a bit of), but because of the hills and the cramped up steets. You get exhausted if you have to walk an entire day of uphill, then downhill, then uphill and then downhill again. You have to walk through a lot of small streets that zigzag through the city to get to the different sights. So if you can, invest a little in these busses. It's also worth it to do one entire round in one of the busses (takes about an hour) and learn about the city while listening to a guide.

 

I've talked about the small streets, which are very prominent in Genua, but the "main street" for tourism, Via Garibaldi, is luckily a bit wider. In this street you'll find tons of palaces, all of which look beautiful. Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco are two of the favorites.
The street is also great for buying your ice cream, with a couple of really cute shops. My suggestion is to visit the Via Garibaldi first and then the Palazzo Reale and the following cathedral.

 

 

The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato, which is situated in the same street as the palazzo Reale, is free to visit and a great way to semi finish the day off. The cathedral is ginormous and beautifully decorated.

 

Finish your day by having a relaxing walk on the jetty of the beautiful harbour Genua has. I say jetty and not just walking along the side of the harbour, because it's cramped with parking lots and people trying to sell you stuff.

 General tips & suggestions:

• If you can spare the money, buy a ticket for the CitySightseeing busses. Walking will be exhausting. Going by bike may be a good option if you're more of an active person


• It is possible to stay under 50 euros a night when sleeping in Genua, but you have to book in advance. We stayed in a B&B just outside of Genua, which was fine as well.


• Genua is not expensive, the cathedral for example is free, but you do have to take in account that the palaces cost some bucks if you are with an entire family (say 4 euros per person).


• For lunch and dinner pick a small restaurant near the harbour. We ate at a pizza place where we only paid 6 euros for an entire pizza, which was delicious! Check the menus beforehand and it will be quite easy to find a place similar to ours.


• For ice cream, go for a gelatteria on the Via Garibaldi. The shops are very cute and have delicious ice cream.

♥ Love, Vivian

 

 

 

 

 

Visit Genua! 24H In Genua General Tips & Suggestions

Helloooo! Today another Italian city to explore! With of course another short introduction: As you may know, I love to travel. I love to discover new things, get a taste of different cultures and see the most beautiful architecture. So, what would be a perfect country to go? Italy of course! Italian cities are absolutely beautiful, I would know, I've been in more than 11 of the bigger (if not biggest) cities in Italy and for today I would love to discover Genua with you!

 When in Genua, the things you must see are the palaces. Genua, to me, would be the city of palaces. My favorite is the palazzo Reale. Which doesn't look like much on the front, but the backside is gorgeous!

Also be sure to check the inside if you enjoy Baroque. The way this palace has been designed was influential throughout Italy. Tickets are only 4 euros (2 if you're under 18!) and it's worth the price. Inside you'll find rooms like this:

B&B Mini Hand Sanitizers

My friend recently went to the U.S. and I couldn't help myself when he told me there was a Bath and Bodyworks close to him. I just had to ask him to bring some hand gels to the Netherlands which he did. He brought ten of them! I was hoping for 2 maybe 3 and he decided to bring 10, which is definitely a way to make me happy.

I will keep this bag forever :O

 

 

These are the ten scents he chose for me. Absolutely adorable packaging and I would surely love to be the one to come up with the names for these hand sanatizers.

I tried taking interesting pictures, but I think it's easier to see them all in a simple matter.

Cucumber mint doesn't smell minty at all if you ask me. I can only smell the cucumber. It is a nice, fresh scent though.

Pure paradise smells generic. It reminds me of childrens shower gel. Nostalgia!

Crisp morning air is a nice scent to wake your senses. A fresh scent.

Sweet cinnamon pumpkin smells like PSL's. My inner basic bitch is loving this.

It's a beautiful day! U2 got stuck in my head when I saw this one. Smells like apples :D

This one must be my favorite. It smells exactly how you expect it to smell, like cozy vanilla cream. Gahhh I want to marry this scent!

Sunlight & apple trees. More apple scents! This one is a bit warmer than Beautiful Day.

Don't like Sonoma sunflower blossom. It somehow reminds me of hay fever and I couldn't explain to you why it does if I wanted to.

Another favorite! I love all things strawberry scented and this one it that combined with ice popsicles and the thought of summer.

 Pretty in Pink smells like barbies. Nuff' said.

I don't think I can smell anything properly for the rest of the week, but it was worth it! I am in love with these hand sanatizers, even though I won't be using them every day (they're very drying because of the alcohol). Let me know if you tried any of these and what your favorite scents are!

♥ Love, Vivian

B&B Mini Hand Sanitizers

My friend recently went to the U.S. and I couldn't help myself when he told me there was a Bath and Bodyworks close to him. I just had to ask him to bring some hand gels to the Netherlands which he did. He brought ten of them! I was hoping for 2 maybe 3 and he decided to bring 10, which is definitely a way to make me happy.

My Hair Care Tips

I want to take a minute here to say sorry to my hair. Sorry, hair, for dying you multiple times with ammonia enriched dyes. Sorry, hair, for regretting that decision and proceeding to bleach you. Sorry, hair, for using lots of stylers, curlers, blow dryers, hair ties and all of the other bad things I did to you! But hair, please do not forget, that I kept you healthy all this time.

As you can tell, I put my hair through a lot of distress. My hair could've been pretty dry and split by now, but it isn't due to my good care for it. So here are my tips for healthy hair care. Enjoy!

De-tangle spray
This is a definite must for me. I've always had long hair. My hair is actually the shortest it has ever been right now. To avoid a lot of breakage and damage while brushing my hair in the morning, I use a de-tangle spray. I always use one from Gliss Kur, they have the best ones I've tried.

Coconut Oil
We all know that coconut is good for pretty much anything and that it does wonders to your hair. It's the only oil known to actually penetrate your hair and deep condition it. So everytime after I have washed my hair, I apply a small amount to my towel dry hair. Works wonders.

Baking Soda
Another product that is good for almost anything: Baking Soda. Every now and then I use baking soda to break up the build up. Basically, you make a paste from a lot of baking soda and a tiny bit of water and as soon as you apply it to your hair it turns into powder again. Terribly messy. The first time I did this I was really scared, because my hair felt like straw when it was wet. But when it dried.. oh my god, it was soft, shiny and light! Loving the baking soda in here!

Brushing Right
Another thing you can do when it comes to hair care is making sure that you're using the right technique to brush your hair. This might be a no brainer, but it's best to start at the bottem and slowly work your way up. If you feel a knot, slowly brush it out to minimize your chances of breaking the hair.


Massage your scalp
Massaging your scalp is a good way to make your hair stronger. The massaging gets the blood flowing under the skin which gives your hair the necessary oxygen to grow stronger. Also massaging your scalp just feels really good. You can do it while your hair is dry or during your shampooing session.

See? My hair is still in awesome condition ^^

Don't sleep with a hair tie
Sleeping with a hair tie increases breakage. You keep moving and turning your head while sleeping and that way, when you're scrubbing your head against the pillow, your tightly wrapped ponytail will cause your hair to break off around the hair tie. Sleep with your hair loose or braid it at night.

Use minimal heat
Do I need to explain this one? Heat damages your hair. A lot. If you like to use heat, be sure to use a heat spray to protect your hair and a ceramic heat tool. Ceramic tools are a lot better for your hair, since they don't fry it. Cheap tools will fry your hair, as if you're using a household iron. 

I tried not to state the obvious in this post, but hair care isn't magic, so you might already know most of these things. Nevertheless I hope you enjoyed this post and I would like to know what your favourite hair care tips are.

♥ Love, Vivian

Visit Turin! 24H in Turin General Tips & Suggestions

Good morning! As you may know, I love to travel. I love to discover new things, get a taste of different cultures and see the most beautiful architecture. So, what would be a perfect country to go? Italy of course! Italian cities are absolutely beautiful, I would know, I've been in more than 11 of the bigger (if not biggest) cities in Italy and for today I would love to discover Turin with you!

Sephora Sheet Masks

When in Rome, I was in the Sephora looking at the colourful sheetmasks they were selling. I never had a good experience with sheet masks before, but I decided to give it another go. I bought their Rose mask and their Ginseng mask. And wow let me tell you, was I definitely pleasantly surprised! Here's why:

Sephora Kiss Me Lipbalm

When I was in Rome I knew that I had to get to Sephora. We don't have one in the Netherlands, so a lot of the brands they sell aren't easily available to me. And while being there my eye fell on this cute lipbalm in the shape of a little egg. I coudn't resist! So here it is, the cute little eggy ^^.

Maybelline Fit Me Liquid Foundation & Pressed Powder

A foundation with a natural and breathable texture, that perfectly fits your skin and does not look like you're wearing a mask. That is what Maybelline promises us with their Fit Me foundation, concealer and powder line. Look natural and fresh, with the Fit Me line that perfectly fits your skin. Well, let's see if I agree with Maybelline in this capacious review.

KIKO Energy Mask

Do you have an oily skin? A skin prone to breakouts? A skin that needs detoxifying? Or just a skin? Well, I might have found the perfect mask for you! This energizing mask by KIKO looks pretty cool because of its black colour, but is it any good? Let's find out!

 First of all, Kiko chose a very hygenic way of packaging their masks. You don't have to dunk your hand in a pot which will only get bacteria in it. The tube is pretty small so you can easily take it with you while travelling.
The packaging itself looks a bit too plain if you ask me, but I know that a lot of people like its look.

The active ingredients in this mask are the Kaolin and the Magnesium. Kaolin soothes dry skin and reduces oilyness and magnesium prevents wrinkles and combats skin allergies, such as eczema.

Now for the real test: my skin before and after the mask

So you'll probably notice the redness on my chin, but that's from the warm water I used. My skin does in fact look a bit smoother, though my pimples were only reduced a tiny bit the next day. Not as spectacular as I was hoping for.
My skin doesn't feel dry, which, for my sensitive skin, is a good thing.

The KIKO Energy mask costs: €5.99

Verdict:  Comparing price with quality, this mask is a pretty good deal. The packaging is pretty handy and stirdy but not expensive looking. The mask itself doesn't do wonders for your skin but it does make it look a bit better. Overall I would recommend this mask to those of you who have an easy to take care of skin, but still want a little extra.

What masks do you use?

♥ Love, Vivian

L'Oréal Subtle Soft Micellar Make-Up Removers

Micellar water, models swear by it, celebs swear by it and even make-up artists like, Lisa Eldridge, use them in their daily routine. But what makes this water so good? And why would you spend money on cleansing... water..? Well, I will explain all of that in this post. Plus I'll review the new micellar cleansers by L'Oréal.

Review: Rimmel Apocalips

The perfect lipstick: Opaque, long lasting and with a reasonable price. It's like I'm on a never ending quest. Brands come out with better lipsticks every week. I'd love to try all lipsticks out there, but that is fanancially and timewise pretty impossible. I did come across the Apocalips-hype and I immediately wanted to try the Apocalips line. They might not be the perfect lipstick (they're actually liquid lipsticks), but they're pretty damn close.